Madden 15 Player Ratings: Top 5 Offensive Linemen

Sure, it’s not the most glamorous of positions, but with the change in pass rushing at the heart of Madden 15, having a solid o-line will be paramount to any success you expect to have. EA claims to give you more moves, more control, and more overall emphasis on defense (after all, a defensive player is on the cover). Bottom-line: Defenders are coming hard for the quarterback in the latest iteration of the game.

Here’s a look at some of the pass-rushing gameplay changes you can expect to see in this year’s game:

[EASports.com] PRE-PLAY FIDGETS
The improvements are obvious before the ball is even snapped, as new animations replicate the pre-play behavior of an NFL line of scrimmage. Each position group has their unique set of fidget animations to prepare them for the snap of the ball.

POWER PASS RUSH
In Madden NFL 15, Players can now trigger power pass rush moves by pressing the X/Square buttons while engaged with a blocker. These moves used to be triggered by flicking the R-Stick, which sometimes felt unresponsiveness. With the new controls, players will have more control and ability to get off blocks. Use these moves with powerful linemen like J.J. Watt, Chris Long and Julius Peppers.

FINESSE PASS RUSH
Power pass rushers aren’t the only guys getting love, as finesse pass rush moves have also been improved. Players can now press the A/X buttons while engaged to trigger finesse pass rush moves from players such as Cameron Wake and Brian Orakpo.

We find out about defensive ends tomorrow (which should be really interesting what with all the movement in free agency), but today, we’ll be looking at the top 5 offensive linemen based on Donny Moore’s OVR rating. The rest of the positional player rating schedule is below, with a comprehensive Madden 15 player rating slideshow below that.